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Communication & Implementation for Social Change

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Communication & Implementation for Social Change Communication & Implementation for Social Change: Mobilizing knowledge across geographic and academic borders Krystle van Hoof Communication for Development One-year master 15 Credits Spring/2016 Supervisor: Helen Hambly Odame ABSTRACT In many academic disciplines, there are promising discoveries and valuable information, which have the potential to improve lives but have not been transferred to or taken up in ‘real world’ practice. There are multiple, complex reasons for this divide between theory and practice—sometimes referred to as the ‘know-do’ gap— and there are a number of disciplines and research fields that have grown out of the perceived need to close these gaps. In the field of health, Knowledge Translation (KT) and its related research field, Implementation Science (IS) aim to shorten the time between discovery and implementation to save and improve lives. In the field of humanitarian development, the discipline of Communication for Development (ComDev) arose from a belief that communication methods could help close the perceived gap in development between high- and low-income societies. While Implementation Science and Communication for Development share some historical roots and key characteristics and IS is being increasingly applied in development contexts, there has been limited knowledge exchange between these fields. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the characteristics of IS and ComDev, analyze some key similarities and differences between them and discuss how knowledge from each could help inform the other to more effectively achieve their common goals. Keywords: Communication for development and social change, Diffusion of Innovations, Implementation Science, Knowledge Translation 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 4 Background .......................................................................................................................... 4 The Ties that Bind ............................................................................................................. 6 Theoretical Framework & Key Concepts .............................................................................. 7 Key Literature: Communication for Development ............................................................. 8 Key Literature: Implementation Science ........................................................................... 8 Key Concepts ................................................................................................................... 9 Goal and Objectives ........................................................................................................... 13 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 14 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 14 Significance and Limitations ............................................................................................... 15 2. METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................ 17 3. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW: KNOWLEDGE SHARING BETWEEN FIELDS ............................... 18 The Dangers of Silos .......................................................................................................... 18 Bibliometric Analysis ........................................................................................................... 20 Methods .............................................................................................................................. 20 Choice of Sources .......................................................................................................... 20 Search Terms & Journal Selections ............................................................................... 22 Results ............................................................................................................................ 25 4. LITERATURE REVIEW & EXISTING RESEARCH ............................................................. 29 Examples of Academic Discipline Comparisons ................................................................ 29 Approach to Literature Review of the Fields ....................................................................... 33 Communication for Development and Social Change ........................................................ 33 Theoretical Origins .......................................................................................................... 33 Characteristics ................................................................................................................ 37 Use of Theory ................................................................................................................. 42 Related Disciplines ......................................................................................................... 44 Emerging Issues ............................................................................................................. 46 Implementation Science ..................................................................................................... 48 Theoretical Origins .......................................................................................................... 48 2 Characteristics ................................................................................................................ 50 Use of Theory ................................................................................................................. 50 Related-Disciplines ......................................................................................................... 51 Emerging Issues ............................................................................................................. 52 5. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS .......................................................................................... 54 Some Similarities and Common Issues .............................................................................. 54 Comparison of Characteristics ........................................................................................... 56 Calls for Unified Fields & Interdisciplinarity ........................................................................ 57 6. CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................... 58 Summary of Major Conclusions .......................................................................................... 58 Key Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 59 Opportunities for Learning for ComDev from IS ............................................................. 59 Opportunities for Learning for IS from ComDev ............................................................. 61 Areas for further research and attention ............................................................................. 64 AppendIces ................................................................................................................... 66 Appendix 1: Family Tree Concept Mapping ........................................................................ 66 Appendix 2: List of Search Queries Using Scopus ............................................................. 72 Appendix 3: ComDev Journal Selection ............................................................................. 74 References ................................................................................................................... 77 Tables Table 1: Comparison of Scopus and Web of Science ....................................................................... 22 Table 2: ComDev and Implementation Science Comparison ............................................................ 56 Table 3: Selected Core Journals ....................................................................................................... 74 Table 4: Journal Rankings (Journals not selected) ........................................................................... 76 Figures Figure 1: Co-Citation Map (Unit of Analysis = Shared References) .................................................. 26 Figure 2: Historical Roots & Disciplines Map (ComDev, Implementation Science, Knowledge Translation) ............................................................................................................................... 28 3 1. INTRODUCTION “Communication can help to discover and understand problems, as well as potential solutions, among those engaged in the collective effort as well as those targeted … In addition to educating and mobilizing, communication sites serve as venues through which groups can contest interpretations of these problems and projects, which are … complex.” – Karin Wilkins (1998) “We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And problems may cut right across the borders of any subject matter or discipline.” – Karl Popper (2015) Background In early 2015, one semester into my Masters in Communication for Development with the University of Malmö, I began a new job. The new job was with a health- research funding agency in Canada. My new title was Manager of Knowledge Translation and Policy. Before applying for this job, I had never heard of
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